Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Today the Tide had their second practice under new Head Coach Nick Saban. Here are a few more recent articles about Crimson Tide football.

Crimson Tide practice notebook Tuscaloosa NewsTUSCALOOSA | For the first time during the Nick Saban era, UA football players were made available to the media following Tuesday’s practice at the Thomas-Drew Practice Facility. Almost all the players, especially the defensive backs, talked about Saban’s intensity level and his hands-on approach to coaching.

TUSCALOOSA -- Demand is greater than ever for football tickets at Alabama, so athletic director Mal Moore is a little hesitant to tinker with the schedule. Watered down in the face of severe NCAA sanctions a few years ago, Moore made a couple of cosmetic changes by adding Florida State and Georgia Tech to future schedules but isn't ready to recognize the Crimson Tide's emergence from the black cloud of NCAA probation."Tide nation abuzz - Alabama fans excited to see Saban's changes From the Decatur Daily

Tanner High football coach Laron White says he normally doesn’t make his way down to Tuscaloosa during spring practice. A former Alabama player, White may catch the Crimson Tide’s A-Day scrimmage every few years, but that’s about it. With new head coach Nick Saban in charge at Alabama, White says he may make the two-hour trek one day in the next few weeks just to take a sneak peek.

Alabama football fans will have to pay more to be in Bryant-Denny Stadium during Nick Saban's first year with the Crimson Tide. Ticket prices for Alabama home games have increased by as much as 37-point-5 percent based on information sent to Tide Pride season ticket holders this week. A ticket to any of the four Southeastern Conference home games cost 55 dollars this year, compared to 40 bucks last season. The 2007 total season ticket price is 345 dollars for seven games, compared to 320 dollars for eight games in 2006.

The nation’s highest-paid college football coach became the nation’s highest-paid graduate assistant on Saturday afternoon. All the more reason Nick Saban deserves to be the highest-paid college football coach. Saban, whose presence is already permeating into every level of the University of Alabama football program, conducted his first spring practice, keeping a watchful eye on everything that transpired and -- when needed -- assisting one of his own assistants.

TUSCALOOSA -- Nick Saban served as head coach, graduate assistant and spokesman Saturday as the Crimson Tide went through its first day of spring practice. Saban, hired from the Miami Dolphins in January, spent his first day at Thomas-Drew Field pacing up and down as he shouted instructions to a new coaching staff and a group of players participating in spring drills for the first time under him.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

10 things to look for as Tide takes field - TUSCALOOSA | One hundred and sixty-one days. That’s how long it is until the University of Alabama plays its next football game, Sept. 1, when Western Carolina returns to Bryant-Denny Stadium. That’s also how long new head coach Nick Saban has to get the Crimson Tide ready, beginning with the start of spring practice today.

CECIL HURT: Saban says, 'It’s a work in progress’ "If Nick Saban has instantly upgraded Alabama football in any area, it would have to be quotability. Saban showed off that aptitude again at his Thursday pre-spring press conference, dashing off memorable phrases as if they were quick sideline passes, striking his targets efficiently. Asked about team leadership, for instance, he deftly sidestepped the stock answer and made an incisive point. “When we have a really good team here," Saban said, “we won’t need leaders. “Sheep need a leader. Sheep need a sheepdog, right? “Here’s my point. When you have a lot of people who set the right example -- and if I’m a player, that means I don’t need someone else to get me geeked up to play -- if you have a team full of guys like that, we’ll be much better off."

Crimson Tide opens first spring practice under Saban " Already annointed as the best thing since Bear Bryant by many Crimson Tide football fans, it's finally time for Nick Saban to do some coaching at Alabama. Alabama opens its first spring practice under Saban on Saturday with expectations running extraordinarily high, even for Tide fans who expect a championship drive every few years. Doubt it? Look at at the people in "Got Saban?" T-shirts."

Spring with Saban Published March 22, 2007 TUSCALOOSA — For the University of Alabama, it’s the most anticipated spring football practice in years. On Saturday, the Crimson Tide will hit the field under the direction of new head coach Nick Saban. Saban and his new staff will be installing their offensive and defensive schemes during the 15 practices allowed by the NCAA. Practices will be closed to the public.

Saban joins Tyde in Bama-fan clan "So, how dedicated are you to Alabama football? If you answer that you have season tickets and that you go to every game, that's not good enough for Tim and Hannah Witt. They do that, too. But, if you say that you are naming your children after something associated with Crimson Tide football, then you're at the level the couple says separates "regular fans" from "die-hard fans."

As early as mid-January, the Witts knew their second child was a boy, and they knew his name would be Saban."